Entertainment

Freepath Raises $1.5M to Compete with Google Presentations

There are a lot of slide show creation tools that have cropped up lately, and given Google Presentation's latest upgrades to make slide shows embeddable (YouTube style) and the inclusion of improved Power Point integration, the days of simple slide shows are over. Now it's all about compatibility, and as we see with many other areas where a standard has been made, and newcomers introduce easier ways in which to utilize existing tools.

That's where freepath comes in. The company is getting ready to launch a free tool for creating slide shows that act as playlists. This playlist concept is actually much more fitting for freepath, as you can insert and share just about any file type, from PDF to a song in your iTunes library.

The helpful thing about freepath is that it lets you use these playlists on the fly, and they're compatible with existing web conference tools like Webex and GoTo Meeting. And while you can incorporate various file types for your playlist, you can also edit them, so freepath is more than just an interface for sharing various files. Import a Power Point show and select which slides you'd like to share. Add audio, change text, etc. Videos can be shared in their entirety, or you can choose the start and end points for the clip you'll be sharing with others. Looking at freepath, I think it's an interesting tool that can be used for a variety of reasons for a pretty wide user base.

It pulls some tactics from services like Box.net in terms of offering a centralized and compatible platform for sharing all file types, and even takes the next step by allowing files to be edited (also a direction Box.net has begun to move towards). While freepath hasn't launched its service to the public just yet, it has raised $1.5 million in Series A funding, led by Velocity Venture Capital and joined by individual members of Strategies Early Ventures,Sacramento Angels and Sierra Angels.

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